growing
naturally
or
deliberately
invented,
as
in
Plato's
Republic,
and
has
come
to
mean
a
deluding
fiction
of
a
more
or
less
extravagant
character.
The
'
cunningly
devised
fables'
of
2
P
1"
are
apparently
attempts
to
allegorize
the
Gospel
history,
and
the
belief
in
the
Second
Advent.
The
word
occurs
four
times
in
the
Pastoral
Epp.,
with
a
more
definite
reference
to
a
type
of
false
teaching
actually
in
vogue
at
Ephesus
and
in
Crete.
These
fables
are
connected
with
'endless
gene-alogies
which
minister
questionings'
(1
Ti
1');
they
are
described
as
'profane
and
old
wives'
fables'
(4'),
and
contrasted
with
'sound
doctrine'
(2
Ti
4*).
They
are
'Jewish,'
'the
commandments
of
men'
(Tit
1"),
and
the
'genealogies'
are
connected
with
'fightings
about
law'
(3').
The
exact
nature
of
the
teaching
referred
to
is
disputed,
but
the
following
points
are
fairly
established,
(o)
The
references
do
not
point
to
2nd
century
Gnosticism,
which
was
strongly
anti-
Jewish,
but
to
an
earlier
and
less
developed
form,
such
as
is
necessarily
implied
in
the
more
elaborate
systems.
The
heresies
combated
are
no
indication
of
the
late
date
of
these
Epistles.
(6)
The
heresy
may
be
called
Gnostic
by
anticipation,
and
apparently
arose
from
a
mixture
of
Oriental
and
Jewish
elements
(perhaps
Essene).
Its
views
on
the
sinfulness
of
matter
led
on
the
one
hand
to
an
extreme
asceticism
(1
Ti
4"),
on
the
other
to
unbridled
licence
(Tit
!"•
'«).
(c)
There
is
much
evidence
connecting
this
type
of
teach-ing
with
Asia
Minor
—
Col.,
Tit.,
Rev.,
Ignatian
Letters,
and
the
career
of
Cerinthus.
Ramsay
points
out
that
Phrygia
was
a
favourable
soil,
the
Jews
there
being
par-ticularly
lax.
(d)
The
fables
may
be
specially
the
speculations
about
sons
and
emanations,
orders
of
angels,
and
intermediary
beings,
which
are
character-istic
of
all
forms
of
Gnosticism;
the
passages
are
so
applied
by
2nd
cent.
Fathers.
But
we
are
also
reminded
of
the
legendary
and
allegorical
embellishments
of
the
narratives
of
the
OT,
which
were
so
popular
with
the
Jewish
Rabbis.
Semi-Christian
teachers
may
have
borrowed
their
methods,
and
the
word
'myth'
would
be
specially
applicable
to
the
product.
C.
W.
Emmet.
FACE
is
used
freely
of
animals,
as
well
as
of
men;
also
of
the
surface
of
the
wilderness
(Ex
le*),
of
the
earth,
of
the
waters
or
deep,
of
the
sky.
It
is
used
of
the
front
of
a
house
(Ezk
41"),
of
a
porch
(40i6
412=),
of
a
throne
(Job
26»).
Covering
the
face
in
2
S
19'
is
a
sign
of
mourning
(cf.
covering
the
head);
it
is
also
a
mark
of
reverence
(Ex
3«,
1
K
IQ's,
Is
6^).
In
Gn
24"
it
indicates
modesty.
Otherwise
it
is
used
simply
of
blindfolding,
literal
(Mk
14=^),
or
metaphorical
(Job
9^).
To
fall
on
the
face
is
the
customary
Eastern
obeisance,
whether
to
man
or
to
God.
Spitting
in
the
face
is
the
cUmax
of
contempt
(Nu
12",
Dt
26«,
Mt
26«i).
The
Oriental
will
say,
'
I
spit
in
your
face,'
while
he
actually
spits
on
the
ground.
The
face
naturally
expresses
various
emotions,
—
fear,
sorrow,
shame,
or
joy.
The
'fallen
face'
(Gn
#)
is
used
of
displeasure;
'hardening
the
face'
of
obstinate
sin
(Pr
212*,
Jer
S^).
The
face
was
'
disfigured
'
in
fasting
(Mt
6'«).
It
may
be
the
ex-pression
of
favour,
particularly
of
God
to
man
(Nu
6^,
Ps
31'6),
or
conversely
of
man
turning
his
face
to
God
(Jer
22'
32P);
or
of
disfavour,
as
in
the
phrase
'to
set
the
face
against
'
(Ps
34",
Jer
21"',
and
often
in
Ezk.),
or
'
to
hide
the
face.'
[N.S.
In
Ps
51'
the
phrase
is
used
differ-ently,
meaning
to
forget
or
ignore,
cf.
Ps
90'].
Closely
re-lated
are
the
usages
connected
with
'beholding
the
face.'
This
meant
to
be
admitted
to
the
presence
of
a
potentate,
king,
or
god
(Gn
33i»
43'-
b,
2
K
25",
Est
1"
4"-
";
cf
.
'
angel
(s)
of
the
face
or
presence,'
Is
63',
To
12i6,
Rev
8=,
and
often
in
apocalyptic
literature).
So
'to
look
upon
the
face'
is
to
accept
(Ps
84'),
'to
turn
away
the
face'
is
to
reject
(Ps
13211,
i
K
2i«
RVm).
To
'behold
the
face'
of
God
may
be
used
either
literally
of
appearing
before
His
presence
in
the
sanctuary
or
elsewhere
(Gn
32!"
[Peniel
is
'the
face
of
God'],
Ex
33",
Ps
42^;
the
'shew-
bread'
is
'the
bread
of
the
face
or
presence'),
or
with
a
more
spiritual
reference
to
the
inward
reality
of
communion
which
lies
behind
(Ps
17")
;
so
'
seeking
the
face
'
of
God
(Ps
24«
27»).
On
the
other
hand,
in
2
K
14'
'
see
face
to
face
'
is
used
in
a
sinister
sense
of
meeting
in
battle.
The
Heb.
word
for
'face'
is
used
very
freely,
both
alone
and
in
many
prepositional
phrases,
as
an
idiomatic
periphrasis,
e.g.
'honour
the
face
of
the
old
man'
(Lv
19M),
'grind
the
face
of
the
poor'
(Is
3"),
or
the
common
phrase
'before
my
face'
(Dt
8'',
Mk
1^),
or
'before
the
face
of
Israel'
(Ex
1425).
Many
of
these
usages
are
disguised
in
our
versions,
not
being
in
accord-ance
with
English
idioms;
the
pronoun
is
substituted,
or
'presence,'
'countenance'
are
used,
'face'
being
often
indicated
in
AVm
or
RVm
(Gn
l^',
1
K
2");
so
in
the
phrase
'respect
persons'
(Dt
1").
On
the
other
hand,
'face'
is
wrongly
given
for
'eye'
in
AV
of
1
K
20'8.
41^
where
'ashes
on
face'
should
be
'headband
over
eye
'
;
in
2
K
9'°,
Jer
4",
the
reference
is
to
painting
the
eye;
in
Gn
24"
RV
substitutes
'nose,'
in
Ezk
38"
'nostrils.'
C.
W.
Emmet.
FAIR
HAVENS.—
A
harbour
on
the
south
coast
of
Crete,
near
Lasea,
where
St.
Paul's
ship
took
shelter
on
the
voyage
to
Rome
(Ac
27').
It
still
retains
its
name.
A.
J.
Maclean.
FAITH.
—
NonnloT
believe,
having
in
early
Eng.
ousted
'
belief
'
(wh.
see)
from
its
ethical
uses.
By
this
severance
of
noun
and
vb.
(so
in
Lat.
fides
—
credere,
French
foi
—
croire)
Eng.
suffers
in
comparison
with
German
(Glaube
—
glauben)
and
Greek
(,pistis
—
pisteuH).
But
'faith'
has
a
noble
pedigree;
coming
from
the
Latin
fides,
through
Norman-French,
it
connotes
the
sense
of
personal
honour
and
of
the
mutual
loyalty
attaching
to
the
pledged
word.
1.
In
OT.
—
This
word,
the
normal
NT
expression
for
the
religious
bond,
is
found
but
twice
in
the
OT
(EV)
—
in
Dt
322",
signifjring
steadfastness,
fidelity;
and
in
Hab
2',
where
a
sUghtly
different
noun
from
the
same
Heb.
stem
(contained
in
amen
and
denoting
what
is
firm,
reliable),
may
carry
a
meaning
identical
with
the
above
—
'the
just
shall
Uve
by
his
faithfulness'
(RVm).
The
original
term
has
no
other
sense
than
'faithfulness'
or
'truth'
elsewhere
—
so
in
Ps
37»
(RV)
96",
Dt
32«
(RV),
Is
11'
etc.;
the
context
in
Hab.,
however,
lends
to
it
a
pregnant
emphasis,
suggesting,
besides
the
temper
of
steadfastness,
its
manifestation
in
steadfast
adherence
to
Jehovah's
word;
under
the
circumstances,
passive
fidelity
becomes
active
faith
—
'the
righteous'
Israel
'
shall
live
'
not
by
way
of
reward
for
his
loyalty,
but
by
virtue
of
holding
fast
to
Jehovah's
living
word
(cf.
l'^).
If
so,
St.
Paul
has
done
no
violence
to
the
text
in
Ro
1",
Gal
3".
The
corresponding
vb.
(from
the
root
amen:
in
active
and
passive,
to
rely
on,
and
to
have
reliance
or
be
reliable)
occurs
above
20
times
with
God,
His
character,
word,
or
messengers,
for
object.
More
than
half
these
examples
(in
Ex.,
Dt.,
Ps.)
refer
to
faith
or
unbelief
in
the
mission
of
Moses
and
Jehovah's
redemptive
acts
at
the
foundation
of
the
national
Covenant.
The
same
vb.
supplies
two
of
Isaiah's
watchwords,
in
7'
and
28".
The
former
sentence
is
an
untranslatable
epi-gram
—
'If
you
win
not
hold
fast,
you
shall
have
no
holdfast
I',
'No
fealty,
no
safety
I';
the
latter
leads
us
into
the
heart
of
OT
faith,
the
collective
trust
of
Israel
in
Jehovah
as
her
Rock
of
foundation
and
salva-tion,
which,
as
Isaiah
declared
(in
812-16),
must
serve
also
for
'a
stone
of
stumbling
and
rock
of
offence'
to
the
un-faithful.
This
combination
of
passages
is
twice
made
in
the
NT
(Ro
9»
and
1
P
2«-8),
since
the
new
house
of
God
built
of
Christian
believers
rests
on
the
foundation
laid
in
Zion,
viz.
the
character
and
promise
of
the
Immutable,
to
whom
now
as
then
faith
securely
binds
His
people.
In
Hab
1'
(cited
Ac
13")
Israel's
unbeUef
in
threatened
judgment,
in
Is
S3>
(Jn
12",
Ro
10")
her
